How To Win Top Talent During the Great Resignation

A wave of resignations has hit the job market as millions of employees leave their jobs. As per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4.3 million Americans quit their jobs in August 2021. What’s more, the scenario is spreading across the globe.

The pandemic has given many employees the chance to work 100% remotely. That shift in the zeitgeist that has significantly altered expectations away from the traditional workplace.

To say that the changing landscapes in the time of The Great Resignation have made recruiting top talent challenging would be a drastic understatement. 

Here’s the good news. There are steps that hiring teams can take to beat the competition for top talent. 

Promote Your Mission Statement

The Great Resignation has been a time where employees consider the deeper implications of a job and the value they offer in the larger context. Today’s employees try to find fulfillment through work in more ways than ever before.

A mission statement tells the world what  your company stands for, which gives both employees and candidates a sense of culture and camaraderie to align toward. It expresses the objective of a company and helps employees to focus on a purpose. A well-crafted mission statement helps employees stay engaged with the company in a way that can boost morale. 

A mission statement will also help develop the vision and values of a company. This will help employees get a clear understanding of what they’re working for.

Create an Authentic Interview Experience

Impressing the right talent during the interview is one of the best ways to make your company stand out from the competition. Here are a few simple steps with which you can impress the right candidates during an interview.

• Send an interview agenda to the candidate with additional information about the brand and social media highlights.
• To make the work culture stand out, prepare a short video about the future teams the candidate will be working with. Make sure to highlight the fun aspects of the work culture.
• Stay authentic during the interview and be truthful about the present business scenarios. Highlight statistics that make the company a great place to work and share future visions.
• Always provide a timeframe by when you will convey the results to the candidate. Even if the candidate is unsuccessful, connect with them or send a quick email with thanks. Explaining the interview roadmap clearly is also a good idea.
• Keep in mind, the candidate will be excited if you show enough enthusiasm and make them feel wanted in the company.

It’s Work-life Harmony, Not Work-life Balance

In the past 18 months, the concept of work-life has undergone a tectonic shift as employees continue to essentially live at their workplaces. Developing a culture that supports harmonious work-life integration can be a key factor in winning the race for talent. 

This makes it important for companies to develop a flexible work culture. Flexibility makes it easier for employees to find the right harmony between work and personal life. In turn, this allows employees to be in their best condition, both physically and mentally.

Adapting a hybrid work culture offers employees the best of both worlds. Employees feel more empowered and the chances of retaining a talent pool greatly increase.

Invest in Leaders and Managers

Choosing leaders and managers with the right vision can make a big difference in retaining your talent pool. In fact, managers play a big role in improving employee productivity and engagement.

Leaders need to listen to the opinions of Gen Z employees and get to know them at a personal level. Since every employee is different, it takes time to understand what matters to them. 

But this knowledge can be a powerful tool for empowering managers. It can help them plan personalized career advancement plans for their team members.

This requires managers to interact and engage with the team and support the individual growth plans of the team members. Since there is no one-size-fits-all solution for retaining talent, training the managers in the right manner for this activity is extremely important

Focus on Employee Wellness

Two of the most common factors that lead to employee resignations are stress and burnout. Quite simply, overworked employees are not happy employees. When the majority of people work remotely, ensuring employee wellness can be even more challenging.

It’s important to connect personally with employees and engage in conversation. The tried and tested tools of praise and recognition can work effectively in all scenarios. Some other effective tools include hosting virtual wellness sessions, workout plans, offering vacations, and granting sabbaticals.

Quite simply, it’s important to create top-notch employee experiences across the platform. Make sure to gather feedback and follow up with data-driven decisions to improve employee satisfaction levels. A comprehensive employee wellbeing strategy is a must for higher employee engagement and performance.

Next Up: Candidate Relationships and The Great Reshuffle

The Great Resignation shows no signs of slowing down. Some say it’s evolving into The Great Reshuffle. Companies cannot remain complacent, lest they lose their competitive edge. In this hyper-competitive market, it’s essential to attract and engage talented candidates as quickly as possible, and keep them engaged continuously, regardless of whether they become employees.  

COVID-19 brought the need for hiring teams to gain a deeper understanding on the candidate relationship and the two-way street that’s developed in this candidate-driven landscape. It’s absolutely critical for TA teams to understand how wellness, culture, values, and mission come across to their candidates, and then reflect on the methods that deliver the best candidate experience.

Because their talent competitors? They’re not waiting to win.